When the U.S. government subsidizes rents, there is a limit to how much it is willing to pay out. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has decreed that a tenant household can afford to pay 30 percent of income for rent— no matter what their income level. HUD uses the census and other surveys to determine how much a landlord can get from an unsubsidized tenant, and this is what they call Fair Market Rent— FMR for short.

Effective October 1, 2004, Washington is making changes in FMR that will cut Boston area Section 8 rent payment standards by an average of 10 percent. Four-bedroom apartment owners will lose a stunning 20 percent.

HUD’s definition of the Boston area includes Cambridge and Somerville, and in fact runs all the way up into southern New Hampshire.

“The bottom line,” says Kevin Bradley of the Cambridge Eviction Free Zone (EFZ), “is that Section 8 tenants will likely pay a larger portion” of their rent.

In other words, your landlord gets less, and you pay more to make up the difference. You will pay much more, if landlords decide that Section 8 is no longer worth the trouble.

Tenants and landlords who currently have Section 8 will not see the effects of these changes immediately. HUD allows a year for leases to come into compliance.

The Cambridge EFZ’s Section 8 Action Committee, other tenant groups and allies are working to fight these cuts. "Section 8 tenants and our entire community will fight back by organizing to resist and prevent evictions caused by this outrageous policy,” Bradley said.  

”It's not just the Bush administration that has to change… government, from the city council and the state legislature to the Congress, has to be held accountable for the damage caused by housing policies that destroy families, individuals and whole communities."  

EFZ’s Mary Regan adds, “This change in FMR is one of several ways the the Bush administration has attempted to cut funds to the Section 8 program, and their long term plan is to eliminate this program. The Section 8 program is the only federal housing program serving low-income housefolds.  Many members of these households are senior citizens, people with disabilities and low wage-earning families.”

A demonstration, with the slogan “Homeland security begins with a Home,” was called for Saturday, October 9, at 11 AM, in the Plaza at West End Place in Boston. Besides the EFZ, rally sponsors included the Massachusetts Alliance of HUD Tenants, Sisters Together Ending Poverty, Chinese Progressive Association,and Neighbor 2 Neighbor.

A press release announcing the rally stated, “The Bush Administration has proposed to cut 250,000 families next year and 600,000 by 2009. The Administration is trying to achieve program changes through the back door that that can’t pass Congress, forcing evictions of families from the program or tenants to pay more.”

The Section 8 Action Committee of EFZ can be reached at (617) 354-1300. Further information is available from HUD Tenants Alliance, (617) 267-2949.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent in Boston area

left to right: monthly rent in dollars for studio apts, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, 4 bedroom. figures from CHAPA

2005— 1,025 — 1,077 — 1,266 — 1,513 — 1,676

2004— 1,007 — 1,135 — 1,419 — 1,775 — 2,084